A/N: Hello, my lovely readers, I bestow upon you this next chapter. Hope you like it.
Chapter 14 - Cages
One day later Sinead was back at the arena, this time dressed in a servant's robe she had stolen from the arena's laundry. The flimsy thing reminded her too much of the ridiculous outfit she had to wear on Sriluur, all sheer fabric that clung to her body, soft and itchy at the same time and offering about as much protection as wet tissue paper.
The servants' door was hidden behind a fence and an old watch house. It was flanked by two guards who stared blankly out into the air. As she neared, she relaxed her shoulders and tried to look like she truly belonged there, that she'd gone through this entrance many times and just wanted to do her job in peace. Her hand found its way into her pocket and touched the comlink to reassure her that it was still there.
She passed the guards, ignoring them as much as they ignored her, and was inside the arena which seemed unnaturally quiet in comparison to the day before. Her robe rustled as she moved down along the curved corridor. Once she was sure she was alone, she fished the comlink out.
"Hey. I'm inside."
"Any problems?" Mando sounded slightly warbled through the comlink. There was a tight quality to his voice, and she could see him in her mind's eye pacing back and forth in the Crest.
"Nope. The guards didn't even give me a second glance."
"Good. Remember, you're there to find out where they keep the record, then get out."
"Uh-huh." She glanced down the corridor, making sure she was alone. "Next time you get to sneak in while I wait in safety."
"The robes wouldn't fit."
Sinead grinned at the comlink. "Was that a joke?"
"Mhm. Stay on guard."
"Right. It looked like they didn't allow any access to the top level, might as well start there. Keep you posted." She dropped the comlink back in her pocket.
It was clear that this was a part of the arena the average guest wasn't supposed to see; the stone walls were bare and the only light came from flickering lightbulbs hanging from the low ceiling. It smelled vaguely of dust and metal and she could hear the muffled sound of people talking somewhere nearby. Occasionally a servant would hurry past, not paying attention to Sinead. The beige robe seemed to make her invisible to everyone.
Through an archway, she found a large staircase that wound from below and disappeared above her in a dizzying circle. In the middle, there was a small platform and a pulley-system to hoist heavy crates up to the upper levels. Three boxes filled with bottles were in the middle of being raised and the glass tinkled whenever the platform shook.
It didn't take long getting to the top floor. The only servant she met on the way was too busy arranging delicate glasses on a tray to give Sinead a second look.
The entrance to the staircase was hidden by a metal panel which swung out when she gave it the lightest push. Behind it was a wide corridor, like the ones on the lower levels, except this one was so richly furnished that for a moment Sinead thought she was back on Sriluur; a thick red carpet ran from wall to wall and gold tablets decorated the walls, one of which served to hide the servant stairs. Narrow tables had been pushed against the wall, carrying elaborate flower arrangements that had certainly not come from the fetid wasteland surrounding Strako. All in all, it was about the ugliest place she had ever seen.
Instead of open arches that led to the stands, there were gilded doors inlaid with rubies and a keypad was set into the wall beside every single one.
"Mando ..." she whispered into the comlink.
"What is it?" His tinny voice sounded worried.
"I'm on the top floor and there are doors here, but they're all locked with a keypad. If I were to hide records of all the people that went through here, it'd definitely be behind one of these. I'll look around after the code."
"Anyone spotted you?"
"Relax. Nobody ever notices a servant, not even the other servants."
"Don't take any unnecessary risks."
"Aw, you know me, when have I ever taken unnecessary-"
The door to her right suddenly opened, and she nearly dropped the comlink when she saw who it was: Duiy Rundu and a human woman came out into the hall, deep in conversation. Two Wookiees, one of them Rundu's bodyguard, trailed behind.
Her body tensed, ready to bolt until rational thought overrode instinct and she bowed deeply as they approached, praying that her hair, worn down instead of in a braid, was enough to hide her face.
Nundu and the human woman continued their conversation as they passed her, neither ever noticing she was there. Between strands of hair, Sinead saw Rundu's Wookiee stop for a split second and sniff the air. Her knees went weak with fear. The Wookiee huffed and then went to follow the others down the hall.
As soon as they were out of sight she sprinted to the hidden staircase and jumped through the opening. When she was sure there was no one nearby, she fumbled the comlink out of her pocket. "Mando, I'm here."
"Haar'chak at haran! What happened?!" Mando's voice exploded from the small device.
"Saw our mutual friend but he didn't recognize me."
"Where're you now?"
"On the servant stairs. There's a basement I wanna check out before I leave."
"Even if Rundu didn't spot you the first time, doesn't mean he won't if he sees you again. Do not push your luck."
She blew a strand of hair out of her face. "He doesn't seem the type to hang out in the cellar, but I'll be careful."
"Good."
"You're not used to sitting on the sideline, are you?"
He grunted, "Get going."
Sinead rolled her eyes as she stuffed the comlink away, trying to ignore her still racing heart.
After she had made it underground, a wide door on the first landing slammed open and two servants bustled past her carrying an overflowing fruit platter between them. As the door swung shut, Sinead got a glimpse of a kitchen, the walls dark with soot and a pillar of steam rising from one of the giant cauldrons that hung over an open flame.
She walked on. The temperature dropped as she made it further down and a harsh pungent smell permeated the air, making her eyes water. Shouts and strange noises drifted up from below. It was clear that the care with which the arena had been built didn't extend to the underground level, where the wall was made of rough-hewn stone that shone with moisture.
She reached the end, the wooden stair giving way for an uneven stone floor that radiated cold. The smell was even stronger down here and she coughed, taking care to only breathe through her mouth. Keeping close to the wall, she peered around a corner and accidentally sucked in a deep breath.
A giant chamber stretched out in front of her, directly underneath the arena. Dark-clothed figures ran back and forth between giant cages, hauling buckets of feed or heavy chains. Nearly every cage was occupied by a creature whose scream, howl, snarl, or roar filled the air. She saw Akk dogs, Nexus, Acklays, and even a Rancor that was in the middle of being wrestled into a cage by eleven workers. Sinead's stomach turned when she saw one of them bring an electro-whip down on the creature's back. There were a handful of guards down here, who all stared blankly into the air, probably just waiting for their shift to end.
The ceiling was a mess of cables and platforms that could be worked from a massive control panel on the opposite side of the room. So that was how they sent the fighters up on the stage above. Next to the console, a holoprojector threw an image up of the arena which was empty at the moment.
It looked like there were three ways out of there: the stairs, an open tunnel close to the control panel, or a small door set into the wall a few meters from her. She waited until no one was looking her way, then quickly stole across the ground. The door had been left ajar, throwing a pale line of light across the floor.
She nudged the door with her foot and stuck her head inside, glancing around the empty room. It looked like a mix between an armory and an office if the desk loaded with datapads and flimsi was anything to go by. Underneath the stink of animal, the room smelled of sweat and bitter caf. A big map of the arena hung on the wall behind it, showing every level of the place with colored arrows going back and forth.
"Mando," she whispered into the comlink as she approached the map. "I think I've found the … the security office or something like that. There's a complete map of the arena, guard rotations, everything."
"Anything useful?"
"Hold on." She looked at the top floor. "There's a room marked as the 'repository'. If there's a record, it's got to be in there."
"We still don't have a way in."
"You don't have to be so negative. I'm working on it." She turned to the desk and rifled through a stack of flimsi.
"What are you looking for?"
"Maybe whoever is in charge of security wrote the codes down somewhere."
"Are you serious?"
"This office is a mess, someone left the door open, and I haven't been discovered yet. Clearly, security isn't their strong suit. Aha!" She pulled a scrap of flimsi out from under a cracked datapad. "The codes for every single keypad in the building." She didn't even try to keep the smugness out of her voice.
"You're ... you're serious?"
"It's like they're asking to be robbed." She took a moment to memorize the code for the repository. "Okay, I got it. Meet you outside."
"Be careful."
"When am I not? Wait- hold on …" she carefully tucked a datapad out from under a mountain of flimsi. "That's interesting …"
"What is?"
"I found the guard roster. Says here there are only two guards on duty on the top-level during fights. I guess they're short-staffed."
"That's very careless."
"Lucky break for us."
"Mhm."
"I think that was everything. Going now." She replaced the comlink in her pocket and snuck out of the office when the coast was clear, leaving the door ajar behind her. The workers had managed to get the Rancor into a cage where it walked around a tight circle, snarling at whoever came too close.
The staircase towards the surface was in sight when a bloodcurdling scream cut through the noise of the beasts. Sinead froze and looked around, but it was clear that it hadn't come from any of the workers, who hadn't faltered.
It had come from the tunnel, she was sure of that. Without even realizing, she had begun creeping around the room, keeping close to the wall and behind cover whenever possible.
The tunnel turned out to be only a few meters deep and ended in a turn. She peeked around the corner and the sight that met her turned her blood to ice;
Rows and rows of cages filled most of the chamber, packed tightly with sentients dressed in grey rags. The air was heavy with the stink of sewage and misery and the only source of light came from flickering lanterns hanging from the low ceiling. She watched wide-eyed as two guards dragged an unconscious human across the floor and threw her into an overflowing cage. Her whimpering when she hit the ground made Sinead's stomach turn and unbidden memories flooded to the surface.
So slavery wasn't as forbidden as Rundu wanted her to think.
She crept forwards, keeping close to the ground.
A male Togruta who sat slumped in one corner looked up with a start and their eyes met. For one second, Sinead thought he was about to call for the guards when he stuck a filthy hand out through the bars and motioned for her to come closer. She did so, slowly and silently.
"I've never seen you lot down in the undercroft," the Togruta whispered, his eyes taking in her now dirty robe. "You aren't a servant, are you?"
"Will you call the guards if I say no?" Sinead whispered back. The others watched her out of the corner of their eyes.
The Togruta spat on the ground. "If you're not a servant, who are you?"
"That's not important right now." She looked over the huddled slaves. "Are you ... are you fighters?"
The Togruta scoffed. "Most of us can barely walk. They had us work in a refinery until it exploded. Don't know where they're sending us."
"When?"
The Togruta gave her a look. "Why do you want to know?"
"I wanna help you."
"Why?"
Sinead grit her teeth. "Let's just say I have no love for slavers."
"I overheard one of the guards saying they'll move us tomorrow after the fight."
Shit. That complicated matters.
"Tomorrow. I can work with that."
The Togruta pressed against the bars, giving her an unconvinced look. "How are you gonna take out the guards? They're not gonna just let us walk out of here."
"I'll figure something out. Besides-" she stopped when a guard went past on the other side of the cage. "I'm not alone."
"Hope you have an army, otherwise it won't do you any good."
"Just ... see if you can get the word out, find out who's able to fight. I'll handle the rest."
The Togruta huffed out a laugh. "Sure thing. Looking forward to sharing a cage with you."
She ignored him. "I'm looking for someone who might've come through here, maybe some years ago, his name is Kyen Beck."
"Doesn't ring any bells."
She gritted her teeth. "Ask around, okay? See if anyone has heard of him, knows what happened.
"All right." He bent his head down as another guard passed. "If you keep going, you'll get to the old sewer system and that'll take you all the way through the city. That's how they got us here without anyone knowing."
Sinead eyed the surrounding room; it looked like it was built the same time as the rest of the arena, but support pillars of durasteel kept the sagging ceiling from caving in. "I take it this isn't standard procedure?"
"Have you seen Strako? They never hid what they did, not until the New Republic came along. The politicians are so busy pretending to have the moral high ground that they don't bother checking that their laws are being followed. They don't care. Before, at least the rest of the galaxy knew what kind of place this really is."
"I promise you we're gonna change that. What's your name?"
The Togruta studied her for a long moment. "I'm Belan."
"Just hang tight, Belan. Okay?"
He bared his sharp teeth in a grin. "Whatever you say."
The darkness worked in Sinead's favor as she scurried from cover to cover, hiding behind durasteel boxes or an overfilled caged. The slaves watched her with dull eyes and none of them alerted the guards to her presence. They were quiet except for the odd whispered conversation that cut off as soon as she neared. The silence unnerved her; Sriluur had been hell, but sometimes when she ate dinner with one of the families or snuck off with Kyen it had felt almost ... normal. It was like these souls had been zapped of all energy and were now just waiting like banthas to the slaughter.
The entrance to the sewer had been blocked with a badly fitted grate and there was just enough room for Sinead to wriggle through a gap, though not without leaving slimy streaks across her robe. The sewer was dry, but years of use had left an inch-thick coating of sludge that squelched as she moved through the semi-darkness. She nearly gagged at the harsh smell. Smaller pipes led away from the main one but none of them were big enough for a human to crawl through. A rodent skittered across the ground just a few meters from her.
She passed an abandoned droid head that had somehow found its way down here and came to an intersection, where a small arrow had been carved into the stone at eye height, and she followed it through what soon turned out to be a labyrinth of tunnels that spanned the entire city.
Her hand brushed the comlink in her pocket and she pulled it out.
"Mando?" she said, making sure to breathe through her mouth as she passed a truly pungent pile of sodden fabric that blocked one of the smaller pipes.
"Finally! Where are you? You should've been out by now!"
"I'm in the sewers."
She could sense his confusion through the comlink. "Why are you in the sewers?"
"It's a long story. Tell you later."
Mando sighed. "Fine. We'll talk at the ship."
Rounding a corner, she spotted pale sunlight ahead, and emerged, breathing weakly and covered in sludge, at the bottom of a dried-out canal, the wall too high and slippery to scale. The light felt like needles in her eyes and her robe had been reduced to a filthy, tattered mess.
She walked until she came to a rusty ladder bolted into the wall, the metal groaning when she grabbed hold of the first rung, leaving muddy spots behind as she slowly made her way up into the city.